Kalvin Phillips shocking transfer means he has no Hammers future
Kalvin Phillips’s transfer to West Ham has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
While I don’t want to overly dwell on Saturday’s swearing incident, it’s hard to ignore. Phillips’s one-fingered salute to Hammers fans might stem from mounting pressure on a player who wishes he could perform better. Unfortunately, I doubt he can.
Phillips has struggled to make any positive impact at West Ham. His brief stint has seen him sent off and directly responsible for conceding at least four goals. If he offered something exceptional to counterbalance his failings, perhaps there would be more tolerance for his errors. But there’s nothing – no snapping tackles, driving runs, towering headers, or even his famed long-range passes. All we’ve seen are the mistakes.
Moyes made Phillips his priority signing in January, and I initially thought it was a good move. With Edson Alvarez likely to miss games in the run-in, recruiting a defensive midfielder seemed wise. However, we didn’t anticipate how much Phillips had deteriorated during his 18 months of inactivity at Manchester City.
Kalvin Phillips shocking transfer means he has no Hammers future
Just not good enough
Simply put, Phillips isn’t cut out for the fast-paced Premier League. Going into further detail would feel like kicking a man when he’s down, but it’s clear that Flynn Downes would be a much better option, and that decision lies with Moyes.
Whoever decided not to include an obligation to buy in the loan agreement showed excellent foresight. It was probably David Sullivan or possibly Tim Steidten, because Moyes clearly wanted Phillips above anyone else in January.
Manchester City had valued Phillips at £40m, which now seems extortionate. There seems to be no way forward for him at West Ham, and he’ll likely be sent back. However, City will struggle to fetch £10m for him now, and another loan is the most probable outcome – but not to West Ham.